Message from the Director
Spring 2024
Dear friends of the Center,
I welcome you to the spring semester!
After a productive fall semester with numerous activities and events, we have started the new year with a full schedule of classes and an exciting roster of community events.
We are excited to welcome to the Center our new Consul General, the Honorable Christina Valassopoulou on Sunday, February 4th at 3pm for an informal meet-and-greet. The event is co-organized with the Hellenic American Women’s Council (HAWC).
In celebration of International Greek Language Day, we are planning a 2-part online seminar for teachers of Modern Greek language in local parishes and Greek heritage schools in Southern and Northern California on January 22 and 29, 2024.
With the support of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco, the Consulate General of Greece in Los Angeles, and the Consulate General of Greece in San Francisco, this online seminar aims at providing teachers with updates in teaching methodologies, resources, assessment tools, and pedagogically sound practices.
The seminar will be led by Dr. Eva Prionas (Stanford University), an expert in teaching pedagogies and founder of the American Association of Teachers of Modern Greek.
His Eminence the Metropolitan Gerasimos, the Honorable Consul General Christina Valassopoulou, and the Honorable Consul General Socrates Sourvinos will offer opening remarks.
We are grateful to Prof. George Gavalas and Mrs. Cleola Gavalas for supporting and sponsoring this initiative.
Although the seminar is aimed at educators, any community member who is interested may participate. For more information, please contact ModernGreekStudies@lmu.edu`
Following up the seminars, Professor Maria Pantelia (UC Irvine) will give an in-person presentation about the 3,000 year history of the Greek language as well as the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae® project at UC Irvine that has collected and digitized all extant works of Greek literature.
The event is presented under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in Los Angeles and it is a great opportunity to learn about the rich history of our language that spans 3,400 years and is characterized by enormous lexical and structural continuity.
The presentation is free and open to the public but seating is limited. Please, register here
Free parking in UH, Level 1.
We do have more exciting upcoming events. For more information and updates, visit our calendar and events page.
On a personal note, I would like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to the American Hellenic Council of California for honoring me and the Caloyeras Center with the 2024 Aristeion Award in Academic Leadership. Their partnership and support over the past 40 years have been a tremendous gift to the Center as the two organizations have grown side by side.
In closing, the Center would like to thank the many friends who over the past few months have generously gifted the Center and the Demetrios Liappas Legacy Fund honoring Demetrios’ many contributions to the university and our community.
I would like to recognize Hope and Dimitri Berk, Peter and Vivi Demopoulos, Katharine Free, George and Cleola Gavalas, Rosalind F. Halikis, James and Caroline Kolokotrones, as well as the Caloyeras family for their leadership gifts and continued support.
In the next months, we hope we can count on your support to reach our target goal of raising $1 million to seed this endowment in perpetuity. The fund will provide support for a much-needed professorship for the Caloyeras Center. This position will allow the Center to support its multidisciplinary programmatic offerings and provide our students the opportunity to expand their knowledge about Greece in a number of new academic perspectives. I hope you will consider making a gift.
Visit our website to find out more about our academic program, students, events, and our endowment campaign. I am happy to discuss the Center's plans in more detail, should you have any questions.
I am looking forward to welcoming you back to our campus!
With deep gratitude for your support.
Warm regards,
Christina Bogdanou, Ph.D.
Director